Drink up!

Coffee associated with decreased risk of type 2 diabetes

By Steve Born

Whether you prefer yours caffeinated or
decaffeinated, drinking coffee can significantly
reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes. That's
the conclusion of a recent meta-analysis of 28
studies involving a total of more than 1 million
male and female participants from countries around the
world, conducted from 1966 to 2013. This
new review, published in Diabetes Care,
further confirms earlier meta-analyses that
linked coffee consumption with a decrease in
risk of type 2 diabetes.

Compared to minimal to no coffee
consumption, drinking one cup of
caffeinated coffee per day is associated with
a 9% reduction in type 2 diabetes; drinking
one cup of decaf daily reduced risk by 6%,
according to the data. The rate of reduction
increased in tandem with an increase in the
number of cups of coffee consumed - three
cups daily reduced risk by about 20%, while
six cups daily reduced risk by 33%.

As explained by head researcher, Dr. Frank B. Hu, coffee's
protective effect in decreasing the risk for type 2 diabetes
possibly can be attributed to chlorogenic acid, a naturally
occurring compound that helps improve insulin sensitivity
and inhibits blood sugar absorption. Coffee also contains
other antioxidants (polyphenols), as well as chromium,
magnesium, and other minerals, all of which are believed to
work synergistically to impart coffee's beneficial effects.

While eating right, exercising, and maintaining a healthy
weight all remain critically important to the prevention
of type 2 diabetes, this new meta-analysis confirms that
drinking coffee, caffeinated or not, makes a significant and
healthy contribution. HN